I normally don’t get into all the back and forth that goes on before the draft, but on the eve of the 2012 NFL Draft I wanted to put my thoughts out there. I’m not even sure if it fits in this thread, and I realize most of you probably won’t read this, but like I said, I just wanted to put it all out there.

This is the first draft in a long time that there isn’t one player that I’m really hoping for. I’m kind of up in the air. There are only two players that I’m absolutely in love with and think would be terrific fits, but I doubt either will fall to us at 20. The first is Luke Kuechly. Forget about his measurables, it’s hard to argue with 191 tackles! He reminds me a taller Zach Thomas. Great instincts and has the ability to make plays all over the field. Just a tackling machine! The second player that I am really high on is Michael Floyd. I actually like him more than Blackmon. Although all the recent hype around him has actually made me like him less, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be a stud in the NFL.

Now, as much as I love these guys, do I think they are wroth trading up for… no! The only scenario where I would like us to move up would be if Kuechly miraculously falls to around 16 or 17 and we only have to move up a few spots. I highly doubt he can get past Philly though.

So what would I like to see at 20? Here are my thoughts:
I’m not the biggest fan of taking a CB in the first round unless he is absolutely a game changer. You really need to be a shutdown corner in college and have the ability to do it all, including blitzing and be a solid open field tackler. Dre Kirkpatrick, to me, does not fit that mold. I’m not even fully sold on Claiborne or Gilmore, but they probably will be long gone anyway. Either way, I have a lot of faith in this team’s ability to find quality starting corners in the later rounds… and I mean late LATE rounds i.e. 6th and 7th going all the way back to Reynaldo Hill.

The most logical pick, of course, is Defensive Line. Well I can tell you right off the bat that I do not want Brockers! I don’t know if he was sick or what, but I just can’t get past the fact that a 322 pound man can’t bench 225 more than 19 times! Seriously?! What Brockers does have however, is size, and size happens to be what the Titans have been missing since big Al. We need a big boy to plug in the holes next to Casey. So with a pass on Brockers, that only leaves us with Dontari Poe. Like everyone else, I like Poe based on his performance at the combine but I am not sold on his playmaking ability. He would be a no brainer if we still had Washburn coaching our D-Line, but as a project, I’m nervous. If our staff believes we can turn him into the beast that he can become, then I have faith and I’ll be okay with the pick.

Even with our free agency additions, I still believe our best course of action would be to go with a DE given the talent pool and our pick at 20. I am not a fan of Coples and I also don’t want Upshaw. Initially I wanted Nick Perry, but the more I looked into Whitney Mercilus the more I bought into the hype. He could turn out to be a “one year wonder” but again, hard to argue with 22.5 tackles for a loss, 16 sacks and nine forced fumbles! In my opinion this is a make or break year for Morgan. If he can’t develop into the player we were all hoping for, then we have to move on and it gives Mercilus one year to learn how to play in the NFL. If Morgan does step up this year, then we will have excellent depth at the position and we will be a force. This reminds me of 2010 with Perry being the “safer”, “NFL ready” player and Mercilus being the riskier pick but with huge upside. If both were there, I would like to see us take the risk this year.

The wildcard pick, and the one that really gets me the most excited, is Stephen Hill. I always liked him, but never considered us taking him at 20 until Mike Mayock unveiled his mock draft yesterday. I know Hill is only good for one thing. Do I believe that he can become an elite #1 receiver in the future? Yes! But I do realize that he is a very raw talent right now. That also happens to be the reason why I would like the pick and I think Mayock has a point. We already have a true #1 receiver that can handle the bulk of the passes and move the chains on 3rd down. So we wouldn’t need Hill for that this year. What Hill could do is provide that deep threat that the Titans have really never had. He reminds me of Mike Wallace and if all he is good for is catching 30+ yard TD catches, I’m okay with that.

If Gilmore Floyd or Decastro are some how there we have to take them. I will say this for upshaw he may not fit us but you talk about production. Why do people like Nick Perry and not Upshaw they are both 6 3 upshaw 272 perry is 271. One is a little faster and one is stronger with a better body of work? Aren't they the same guy? I am intrigued by chandler jones but I think Mercilus maybe the best fit. We have a trade vikes to browns!

I want the BEST AVAILABLE player on the board when we pick (Defensive player preferred but it depends on how it all plays out). The last thing I want them to do is reach for a player solely based on need. If theres a player there @ #20 who they view as a 2nd round talent..I dont care if he wont be there when we pick again tomorrow. BPA please..

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